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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Early church quote on gluttony

The early church had a lot to say about gluttony and eating with simplicity ... here is a quote I found today:

Some men, in truth, live that they may eat, as the irrational creatures, "whose life is their belly, and nothing else." But the Instructor commands us to eat that we may live. For neither is food our business, nor is pleasure our aim; but both are on account of our life here, which the Word is training up to immortality. Wherefore also there is discrimination to be employed in reference to food. And it is to be simple, truly plain, suiting precisely simple and artless children--as ministering to life, not to luxury. And the life to which it conduces consists of two things--health and strength; to which plainness of fare is most suitable, being conducive both to digestion and lightness of body, from which come growth, and health, and right strength, not strength that is wrong or dangerous and wretched, as is that of athletes produced by compulsory feeding. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195)

4 comments:

  1. Wow, I've never heard that before. I love it. Very well written with truth.

    God Bless

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  2. I am encouraged by reading these thoughts.
    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ah, Catholic wisdom! There is so much more, too, throughout the centuries!

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  4. Hello anonymous ... yes, this is a very wise quote, however he was not catholic.

    God bless you. js

    ReplyDelete

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